Royal Armories, London

The White Tower is a central tower, the old keep, at the Tower of London. It was built by William the Conqueror during the early 1080s, and subsequently extended. The White Tower was the castle's strongest point militarily, and provided accommodation for the king and his representatives, as well as a chapel. Henry III ordered that the tower be whitewashed in 1240.HistoryThe castle which later became known as the Tower of London was begun by William the Conqueror in 1066. It began as a timber fortification enclosed by a palisade. In the next decade work began on the White Tower, the great stone keep that still dominates the castle today. The precise date of the White Tower's foundation is unknown, and it is also uncertain how long building took. It is traditionally held that construction began in 1078. This is because the Textus Roffensis records that Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester, oversaw the building work under instruction from William the Conqueror. Dendrochronological evidence suggests construction of the White Tower began in 1075–1079. The archaeology of the standing building suggests there was a pause in construction between 1080 and 1090–1093, although it is unknown why. Gundulf did more than just oversee work and was a skilled architect. Rochester's castle and cathedral were rebuilt under his auspices. As the main castle in England's capital, the Tower of London was an important royal building. The keep built by Gundulf bears testament to this as it was one of the largest in Christendom.

A good collection of medieval armour is kept in the central building of the Tower of London. I call them second because they are of everyday use and do not stand out as much as others of different museums and collections engraved and designed for monarchs and high dignitaries. This collection was mostly for your usual use and are less spectacular.

Probably the best part of the tower experience, seeing the suits of armour in all shapes and sizes for man and beast (horses) some of which are absolutely stunning, as you move onwards and upwards you'll see all manner of weaponry from various stages of history and development, through to some very modern firearms, some very blinged up ones too, there also a beautiful chapel, fairly large and very modest but this just adds to it's beauty, there's quite a lot to see, with a few interactive things, a definite high light.

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By Helen H

Lots of great displays. Definitely for anyone who loves medieval armour